


Slow But Steadily

by dorito_frito



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Hurt Wanda Maximoff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Past Abuse, Protective Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-26 03:33:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30099648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorito_frito/pseuds/dorito_frito
Summary: Wanda Maximoff is broken. After the loss of her brother, she has no one left, and starts falling into a self-destructive spiral. Until a certain red-haired spy offers her help.Note: This is a mother/daughter kind of relationship, because I just find them really cute like that.(Takes place after the events of AoU)
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Wanda Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff & Avengers Team, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov
Comments: 26
Kudos: 73





	1. Names

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for choosing to read this story! It'll have plenty of angst, fluff, and everything in between. Enjoy!

“Pietro…”

Natasha Romanoff’s head shot up. She was sitting in the Helicarrier, with the rest of the Avengers- minus Bruce. Below them, she saw the rubble that used to be Novi Grad sinking into the depths of a lake. Even though Ultron was destroyed, that didn’t take away from the fact that a whole city had been reduced to nothing, just like that.

Turning to the source of the voice, she saw that it had come from the small girl sitting in the corner of the room, away from the others. Wanda Maximoff- Pietro Maximoff’s sister. Natasha hadn’t interacted much with her, but she knew that the twins were very close. What’s more, she hadn’t said anything since she had boarded the vehicle, which made her pained mention of her brother even harder to hear.

Without quite knowing what she was doing, Natasha walked over to her. Wanda looked up, her eyes wet with tears and slightly suspicious. Natasha sat down next to her without speaking, and gave her a warm smile. For a moment Wanda didn’t react, but to Nat’s relief her lips briefly upturned in something that resembled a smile. Natasha didn't try and pressure her to talk, and Wanda seemed to appreciate that. She caught Steve shooting her a confused look, but she simply glared back at him and he raised his hands in surrender.

After what could have been hours, could have been minutes, they arrived at the Avengers Compound. The others got up and left, and Natasha started to do the same. However, she looked back and saw that Wanda hadn’t moved. 

“Hey, you coming?” She asked, surprised at how gentle her voice was. The girl had a slightly dazed expression, as if she hadn’t noticed that they were leaving. Nat offered her hand, and Wanda took it. “Come on, Stark will be pissed if we take too long.” She made sure to move relatively slowly, seeing how shaky Wanda was on her feet. They soon reached the Compound, and saw the other Avengers waiting for them.

“So they finally join us,” Tony commented. Natasha rolled her eyes, and he turned to Wanda. “Here, I’ll show you to your room.” He grabbed her wrist, and she visibly shrunk back. Natasha narrowed her eyes. Why was she so scared? Tony raised an eyebrow. “Uh, you good?” The girl nodded quickly, and he shrugged. “Sure, whatever you say. Nat, would you mind coming with?” 

“Sure,” the woman replied. She saw Wanda relax a little, which was reassuring. They entered the elevator, and Tony cleared his throat.

“Okay, you’re going to be in the room next to Nat here.” When her name was mentioned, Natasha briefly raised her hand as if to say, “yeah, that’s me.” Tony continued. “If you need anything, just ask.” The elevator reached their floor, and they stepped out into the hallway. “See that door right there? That’s yours, I’m sure Nat will be glad to help you get set up.” He yawned. “Now, I’m gonna go take a nap. Dinner is ready at 6:30.” Just like that, he left. 

Natasha chuckled softly. “Yeah, Tony’s never been one for long goodbyes.” She waved Wanda over. “Let’s go check out your room!” As she opened the door, she saw Wanda’s eyes widen in awe. It wasn’t anything special, it mostly just resembled a really nice hotel room. “You like it?”

For once, Wanda actually replied. “It’s just… I’ve never seen a room like this before.” While Natasha watched, she walked up to the bed and touched the mattress. “Or a bed this soft.” The way she was acting, Natasha wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time in a while that she had actually had a real room. Noticing the bathroom, Wanda practically ran to check it out. “Is that… is that a shower? In the bedroom?” Natasha smiled, finding the girl’s wonder rather adorable. 

“Sure is,” Natasha said. Her smile wavered when she actually thought about why Wanda was reacting this way. She had been with Hydra for much of her life, and who knew how they treated her there. “And this is all yours,” Natasha added softly. She stood there for a few more moments, then spoke. “Do you need any help setting up, or…?” Wanda shook her head.

“Well, I don’t really have any items, so I think I’m fine.” That reminded Natasha that she probably needed some clothes.  
She walked up to the door. “Well, if you say so. I’ll bring you some clothes later- or we can go shopping.” She gave her one last smile. “Remember, I’m right next door, so just knock if you need anything.” Wanda nodded, and Natasha left. She entered her own room, and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. She didn’t know why she was so concerned with this mysterious girl. Emotional connections had never really been her thing, but she felt a need to protect Wanda. 

_Feelings are weird,_ she thought to herself. With that profound thought, Natasha drifted off into sleep.

No more than an hour later, she woke up.

Sitting up groggily, she realized that the cause of her awakening was a sound. Concentrating, she realized that it was screaming- and it was coming from the room next door. _Wanda._ Natasha, fully alert now, jogged out her room and swung Wanda’s door open- apparently it wasn’t locked. 

The girl was laying on her bed, eyes closed, but she definitely wasn’t having a peaceful slumber. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was letting out pained cries. Natasha didn’t really know what to do, so she cautiously moved forward. 

“No… no. Please!” The emotion in Wanda’s face caused Natasha’s heart to crack- she had a feeling her nightmares were based in past trauma. She didn’t want to know what was going through her head right now. “NO!” Natasha had to do something. She reached forward and squeezed Wanda’s shoulder.

“Wanda? Um, sweetie? You can wake up now, you’re safe.” Wanda’s screams grew quieter, but her fear was still as prominent as ever. Her voice was pleading and desperate.

“Please, just stop. Please.” She repeated the word please over and over, and when Natasha touched her, she noticed that she was trembling. Natasha took her hand, and gently massaged it with her fingers. 

“Shh. It’s alright, you’re alright.” Suddenly, Wanda let out a choked gasp for air, and her eyes flew open. Seeing Natasha, she instinctively moved to the corner of the bed. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me. Did I wake you up? You’re probably going to make me leave now.” Wanda was hyperventilating, and Natasha knew she was most likely having some sort of panic attack. She approached her slowly and smiled.

“No, we’re not going to kick you out. You just had a nightmare, that’s all. We all get them.” Natasha sat down next to her. “And I wasn’t really asleep long anyways.” Wanda dipped her head.

“Thank you ma’am,” she said. Natasha raised an eyebrow. 

“You don’t have to call me ma’am,” she said half-jokingly. 

Wanda’s eyes widened. “Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t know-” Natasha cut her off. This girl worries a lot, she thought to herself.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Natasha clarified. “I meant that… well, calling me ma’am makes me think that you’re referring to me as superior.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not your superior- I’m your friend.” 

Wanda looked down at her feet. She hadn’t heard the word friend in a while. “I see. What shall I call you?” Natasha laughed.

“Uh, Natasha. Wait no, that sounds too professional. You can call me Nat or Tasha, I don’t really care.” Wanda thought for a moment, then looked up.

“I will call you Tasha. I like the way it sounds.” The serious way she said it made Natasha smile. 

“Well, Tasha it is.” She found herself reaching over and pulling Wanda into a side hug. The girl looked surprised for a moment, but she didn’t fight it. “Do you want to try and get a little more rest?” 

Wanda had bags under her eyes, and was clearly exhausted. However, Natasha guessed that she was not too keen on going back to sleep. “I can stay with you if you want.”

Wanda’s eyes grew wide. “You would do that for me?” Natasha nodded.

“Yes. I care about you, and I want you to feel safe.” She met Wanda’s eyes and her voice took on a concerned tone. “Do you want to talk about your dream?” 

Wanda paused. “I… not yet.” She clenched her fists. “Let’s just say that Hydra had methods to keep me in line.” Natasha’s eyes sparked with anger- who would harm a teenage girl for their own twisted purposes? She had to stay calm for Wanda though. 

“Oh, I see.” She held Wanda a bit tighter. “If you ever do want to talk about it, I’m here.” She suppressed a yawn. “Now, let’s try and get some rest before dinner.” She pulled the covers over Wanda, and eventually the girl lay down. Natasha kept a bit of distance between them, just in case Wanda was uncomfortable. Despite this, she soon found that Wanda had rolled over and was now curled up right next to her.

“Rest up kiddo,” Natasha whispered. She thought that she was already asleep, and wasn’t expecting a response. That’s why she was so surprised when she heard a soft murmur.

“Thanks Tasha.”


	2. A Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Nat join the Avengers for dinner, and antics ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I was so excited to make the next one so here I am.

Natasha woke up about an hour later, and saw that Wanda was still asleep. Curled up like that, she looked so small- like a child. Natasha had forgotten about the fact that even with all the trauma, all the crap she had been through... she was still a kid. Debating whether or not to move, Natasha checked the digital clock on the bedside table. 6:21- almost time for dinner. She gently shook Wanda. "Hey, Wanda." The girl's eyes slowly opened and she let out a small yawn. "You should get ready, it's almost time for dinner." She saw Wanda's expression grow nervous for a moment.

"I... I'm not that hungry." Natasha narrowed her eyes. 

"Mhm. When was the last time you ate a real meal?" Wanda bit her lip, clearly struggling to remember. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Come on, I'll give you a change of clothes." Wanda looked away.

"You don't have to lend me your clothes..." Natasha smiled. Wanda was too polite for her own good. Natasha shook her head and began to leave the room. 

"Wanda, you've been in that same outfit since the battle. Wait here, I'll go get some from my room." Natasha picked out a leather jacket, similar to the one Wanda had worn in the battle against Ultron. She also picked out a simple t-shirt and jeans, along with various other clothes for later use. Returning to Wanda, she noticed that the girl hadn't moved from her position on the bed. "Here," Natasha said, placing the pile of clothes on the bed. "Go change, and I'll do your hair." Wanda, who was staring at the pile in wonder, nodded quickly and ran off to the bathroom. Natasha started putting the clothes away, and Wanda soon came back. "Looking good," Natasha commented.

Wanda smiled shyly. "Thank you," she said quietly. Natasha gestured for her to come sit in front of her, and grabbed a comb she had set aside. She started gently brushing through Wanda's brunette locks, eliminating as many tangles as she could. Once she had done so, Natasha started to braid, her fingers moving swiftly. In no time at all, Wanda's hair was gathered in a neat French braid, not dissimilar to Natasha's. She turned around, and Natasha saw her eyes were a bit red, like she was crying.

"I'm sorry," Wanda sniffed. "It's stupid. It's just that my mother used to braid my hair like that." Natasha sighed and squeezed Wanda's hand. 

"That's far from stupid. I get it." Her face grew serious. "You can always talk to me- about anything." Natasha stood up and gestured for Wanda to do the same. "Come on, let's go downstairs for dinner."

~~~

As soon as the two entered the room, the others sitting at the table fell silent. Wanda seemed to shrink under their gazes. Natasha pulled Wanda over to two open seats between Steve and Clint. "What's for dinner?" Natasha asked, breaking the quiet. Steve blinked. 

"Oh, uh, Chinese takeout," he said. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Of course," she muttered. She piled some onto her plate, and made Wanda a plate too. "Eat," she said. Realizing the others weren't going to talk anytime soon, she set her fork down. "Okay, what are you guys worried to tell us? Spit it out." They all seemed to share a glance, and Tony spoke up.

"We were discussing Maximoff's future," he began. Wanda stiffened. They were going to kick her out, she just knew it. "She needs a mentor, not only to help control her powers, but to teach her things like hand-to-hand combat." Wanda began to grow hopeful- so they weren't going to kick her out? 

Natasha popped a forkful of sweet and sour chicken into her mouth. "Let me guess. You want me to mentor her because we're the only two females and we both have traumatic pasts?" Tony opened and closed his mouth a couple times, but shrugged.

"Well, there were other reasons," he said sheepishly. There was a pause. "So... will you do it?" Wanda bit her lip. She secretly hoped that Natasha would say yes- she felt safe when she was near her. Natasha swallowed a spoonful of rice. 

"Yeah, sure," she said casually. She looked around at all the others giving her surprised expressions. "What?"

Steve coughed. "It's just that usually, you're not too keen on befriending new people." Natasha quirked an eyebrow. "No offence."

"I like to keep you guys guessing," she said simply. Catching Wanda's eye, she nodded. "We'll start training tomorrow, so you should eat up." She glanced down at her practically untouched plate. Wanda pushed around some vegetables and noodles with her fork. Finally, not wanting to disappoint Natasha, Wanda unenthusiastically ate a piece of broccoli. It tasted like cardboard. Natasha must have caught her reaction, and her expression softened. "Try to eat a little more. I won't push you, but try." Wanda, determined, ate a spoonful of rice. The other Avengers gawked at Natasha- none of them had really seen this side of her before. Sensing the silence was making Wanda uncomfortable, Natasha looked around at everyone. "How about we properly introduce ourselves?"

Tony snorted. "Sure, but I think we've already met." He didn't elaborate, but Wanda knew what he was thinking. _We met when I went inside your head and made you see your darkest fears._. Natasha shot him a glare, and he quickly continued. "Uh, I'm Tony Stark. Billionaire, genius, and saved the world a few times. I also have a cool high-tech suit." 

Steve went next. "Hey, I'm Steve Rogers. I'm Captain America I guess." Wanda liked Steve- he seemed like a nice guy. 

Clint quickly swallowed the food he was chewing. "Clint. I'm not that special to be honest. I honestly don't know how I ended up with these weirdos." He smiled as he said it, and clearly meant it in jest. Clint had been nice to Wanda, and had given her a pep talk during the battle.

The last one there was Sam. "Heyo, I'm Sam Wilson. I'm the Falcon." He glared at Tony. "And it's _not_ just a "bird suit"." Wanda giggled, surprising Natasha. 

Natasha smirked. "We've already been introduced, but let's do it again just for fun." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Natasha. Or Tasha. Or Nat. Just don't call me Ms. Widow and we're all good." Wanda took her hand and shook it, a small smile gracing her face. 

Tony gestured vaguely. "There's also Vision, but he's not here at the moment. He, uh, doesn't eat food." Wanda remembered Vision, he was the guy who flew in and picked her up during the battle in Sokovia. Or was he a robot? There was a word that described him, but she had forgotten. "Oh, and Thor too. You might remember him- beard, hammer, kind of narcissistic." Wanda couldn't help raising her eyebrows given the hypocrisy of that statement, but she said nothing. 

Natasha gave her a thumbs up. "Well, you've been introduced. Get used to all of their antics- they act like a bunch of 5 year olds." Wanda snickered, and they all let out indignant objections. For the rest of dinner, they talked about trivial things. It was nice, and it reminded Wanda of her family dinners back in Sokovia. Occasionally, Natasha would nudge her to remind her to eat. By the end, Wanda hadn't eaten much, but she had still eaten. 

"Okay, who's gonna do the dishes?" Tony asked. He glanced at Wanda. "I elect the new kid. You know, it can be like a rite of passage." Natasha opened her mouth to object, but Wanda shook her head. 

"It is fine. You have been so kind as to let me live here, the least I can do is clean the dishes." Tony raised his eyebrows, but shrugged.

"Fine by me," he replied. Natasha huffed, but smiled at Wanda. "Oh, kid, once you're done, we're binge-watching The Office in, uh, Cinema Room 1." Wanda blinked. There were multiple theater rooms? "Feel free to join us." With that, he and the other men left, leaving Natasha and Wanda.

Wanda debated what to do. She would probably be able to do the dishes in a few moments using her powers, but that might make the others uncomfortable. So, she decided to simply do it the normal way. Noticing Natasha was still there, she tilted her head. "You can join the others if you want," she said. 

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, I know, but I want to help." She took a stack of plates and started to scrub them next to Wanda. It was a strange sight- a witch and a deadly assassin, cleaning dishes. Wanda liked the normalcy of it, however. While they worked, Natasha leaned in a bit closer. "I know you could have used your powers," she said quietly. Wanda tensed. "It was very kind of you to not use them." They continued washing in silence for a while.

"Tasha, are they scared of me?" Wanda blurted out. Natasha was caught off guard, but carefully considered how she should reply. 

"No, not scared. They are just a bit shaken up by what you did in Africa." Wanda's shoulders slumped. "But. They're not scared of you- they're scared of what you can do." Wasn't that the same thing? "They'll warm up to you- they already are." Wanda had one more thing on her mind.

"Are you scared of me?" 

Natasha paused her scrubbing. "No." She squeezed Wanda's shoulder. "I sympathize with you. I know how it feels... to fight for whatever you believe in, even if it isn't right." She hesitated, not willing to share too much of her past. "I did some horrible things too. I carry the guilt with me every day." She met Wanda's wide eyes. "But all we can really do is try our best to make up for it, right?" Wanda nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Yeah."

"Now hurry up and clean. I want to watch The Office."

They finished quickly, and Natasha led Wanda to the so-called "Cinema Room 1". When she asked why Tony had multiple cinema rooms, Natasha simply replied, "because he can". When they arrived, they saw the guys gathered on a large couch.

"Hey, the gals are here!" Clint exclaimed. "C'mon, we're in the middle of the first episode." Wanda settled down on the far end of the couch, not quite wanting to be too close to the others. She paid close attention to the show, trying her best to understand the mannerisms and phrases they used. It was quite confusing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha slide over to sit next to her. 

"You enjoying the show?" She asked. Wanda nodded.

"Nothing like the shows we used to watch in Sokovia." She played with the cuffs of her jacket. "This Michael person, why is he so rude?" Natasha laughed.

"He just is I suppose," she chuckled. "It makes for some pretty funny T.V. though." Wanda nodded slowly. Soon, she felt herself getting drowsy. She had focused so hard on analyzing the episodes, that she had used up a lot of her energy. Wanda found her head drooping, and the next thing she knew she was curled up in Natasha's side. 

Glancing up, her eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your space-" Natasha put a finger to her lips, shushing her.

"It's fine," she assured her. "You can rest." Relaxing, Wanda closed her eyes. As she drifted off, she realized something. For countless years, she had feared physical contact. But somehow, with Natasha... she was fine with it. It made her feel warm.

It was nice to not be scared for once.


	3. Shopping, Training, and Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha is trying to break Wanda out of her shell, and Wanda finds herself becoming more comfortable with the Black Widow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while to update, I wrote the whole chapter a while ago then my WiFi died and all my work got deleted. But here I am, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Wanda woke up to someone shaking her shoulder. "Little Witch? It's getting late. We should head upstairs." Sitting up, Wanda realized that she was still leaning against Natasha, and someone had placed a blanket over her. Rubbing her eyes, she nodded.

"Yes, thank you for waking me up." She blushed. "And, uh..." she gestured to the blanket. It was kind of embarrassing, and it made her feel like a small child, but it was nice that someone cared about her. Natasha chuckled.

"No problem." She helped Wanda up, and they entered the elevator. "F.R.I.D.A.Y, get us to our floor please." Wanda blinked. Who was she talking to? 

"Of course, Ms. Romanoff." Wanda jumped and looked around nervously. Was there someone in the elevator? It sounded like it was coming from the walls. How was that possible?

Natasha glanced at her apologetically. "I guess Tony didn't fill you in on F.R.I.D.A.Y- why would he. She's kind of like the A.I we have here- she's everywhere, so if you need anything, just ask her." Wanda was clearly still freaked out. "Yeah, it's a bit hard to get used to." They reached their floor, and Natasha saw Wanda hesitate at her door. "You okay?"

Wanda nodded quickly. "Uh, yeah. Fine." Natasha clearly didn't believe her. "I just... don't really want to go to sleep. Not tired." It was obviously more than that, but Natasha didn't push.

"Me neither. Do you want to hang out in my room for a bit? We can watch some more T.V." Wanda perked up, trying her best not to look too eager. "It can be a girls night." 

"I would like that," Wanda agreed. Natasha led the way into her room, and Wanda looked around. Her room seemed pretty normal for an ex-assassin- there was a table that was littered with various makeup products, and there were a few photos of the Avengers hanging out. Wanda stood awkwardly to the side. "Uh, can I..." she pointed to the bed. Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed affectionately. 

"No, I want you to stand there for the rest of the night. Yes, you can lie down." Natasha flopped down onto the bed, grabbing the T.V. remote and opening Netflix. Wanda was more cautious, sitting cross legged near the edge. "Let's see, what should we watch..." Natasha thought aloud. She turned to Wanda. "Did you watch any shows back in Sokovia?" 

Wanda bit her lip and stared at her hands. "Yes, actually. Sitcoms- I loved sitcoms." She got a faraway look in her eyes. "Back when I lived in an apartment, my parents managed to get their hands on a bunch of American sitcoms, and we would watch them whenever things got scary outside." She smiled. "Pietro would always get so annoyed whenever I would make our family watch yet another sitcom." Her smile faded as she imagined Pietro's face, a teasing smile crossing his face.

Natasha squeezed Wanda's hand. "In that case, I know exactly what to watch." She smirked. "Have you ever watched Friends?" Wanda shook her head. "It's one of the best sitcoms ever." She selected it on the T.V, and started up the episode. They watched in silence for a while, the only sounds being the occasional laugh from one of them. Natasha undid her braid, and poked Wanda playfully in the side. "Come on, loosen up a little!" Wanda slowly moved closer to Natasha, and she felt the woman reach an arm around and pull her into a hug. Wanda tensed up, but relaxed quickly. 

They watched a few more episodes in a comfortable silence, and Natasha saw that Wanda's eyelids were drooping. "Wait, Wanda, can I ask you something?" The girl looked up curiously. "How old are you?" Wanda opened and closed her mouth, clearly unwilling to answer. "I promise we won't stop you from being an Avenger or anything if you're young. I just really want to know- I'm asking as your friend." 

Letting out a resigned sigh, Wanda relented. "Sixteen," she said simply. Natasha kept a neutral expression, but internally, her thoughts were racing. This girl was sixteen? She had lost her family, her country, and had been experimented on by Hydra... and she was barely old enough to drive. 

"I see," Natasha replied. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, Wanda." The girl didn't reply. Natasha gently pulled her into her chest, not caring that it was a very non-assassin thing to do. This girl was making her soft, and somehow, Natasha didn't care.

"Goodnight маленькая ведьма."

~~~

When Wanda woke the next morning, Natasha had already gone off somewhere. Shoot- training. Wanda quickly ran to her own room and threw on some of the clothes that Natasha had lent her, and almost ran right into her mentor on her way to the elevator. "Good, you're awake," Natasha commented. "Come on, we're going on a little shopping trip." Wanda followed her into the elevator, confused.

"I thought we were training," Wanda protested. Natasha nodded.

"And we are- after we get you some new clothes." She looked Wanda up and down. "Not gonna lie, you're rocking my outfit, but it's a bit big." They made their way to the garage- well, it was more like a small parking lot. Natasha led the way to a sleek black car. "Hop in." Wanda reluctantly obliged.

"You really don't have to do this," Wanda said quietly. Natasha sighed and turned to face her.

"Okay. Listen up, first lesson as your mentor." Wanda's head perked up, focused. "When people try to help you, don't push them away." Wanda averted her eyes and she stared at her hands. 

"I'm sorry. It's just that I feel I don't deserve all this, you know?" She gestured vaguely. Natasha smiled sadly in understanding.

"Well, you do." Natasha left the conversation there, in typical Natasha fashion, and they set off for the mall.

~~~

"Woah." Wanda looked around in awe- according to Natasha, this was what Americans called a "mall". The only word that Wanda could use to describe it was huge. On one hand, it was fascinating, but on the other hand, Wanda was slightly worried at the amount of people milling around. She could already feel her heart starting to speed up. Luckily, Natasha took her hand. 

Natasha guided Wanda to a fancy-looking clothes store. "Here we are," she announced. Wanda felt a bit overwhelmed looking at all of the racks of clothing. Natasha practically shoved clothes in her hands, as Wanda was reluctant to pick out anything. "Come on Wanda, you got to pick something for yourself." The girl looked around, and her eye caught a certain article of clothing. It was a dark red leather jacket, similar to the one she had borrowed from Natasha before the battle. Natasha nodded approvingly. 

"Okay, fashion show time," Natasha said. Wanda went into a changing room and started trying on the various outfits. First, she tried on a simple gray sweater and jeans, which both she and Natasha approved of. Next, she came out with a pale reddish-pink blouse and black leggings- another yes. After a few more, it was time for something more formal. Natasha had picked out a medium-length emerald green dress with some flowery patterns. Suddenly, Natasha heard a small, nervous voice.

"T-Tasha? I don't... I don't really want to come out." She sounded like she had been crying, and that was all it took for Natasha to start worrying. 

"It's fine," Natasha replied gently. "Just change back into your regular clothes and come back out." She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious, but she was going to respect Wanda's boundaries. Wanda came out, her eyes slightly red. "It's okay milaya," Natasha murmured, quickly hugging her. She was surprised when she slipped back into Russian, but Wanda seemed to relax when she heard something so close to her native tongue. "How about we go get some breakfast? After that we can go back to the Compound." Wanda nodded wordlessly, and they paid for the clothes. "Do you want to tell me why you were upset?"

Wanda shook her head. "I'm fine." She didn't say anything else. Narrowing her eyes, Natasha made a mental note to ask her about it later but changed the subject.

"Where do you want to eat?" Wanda shrugged. She hadn't been able to actually choose what she ate in a long time, so she didn't quite know what to do.

Natasha smiled kindly. "What about McDonalds? It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done." Wanda had never heard of the place, but she trusted Natasha.

"Sure," Wanda mumbled. Natasha's concern was growing, but she decided that food was their top priority. At McDonalds, Natasha ordered each of them an Egg McMuffin and got a couple hash browns for them to share. By the time Natasha had finished, Wanda had barely touched hers.

Natasha reached across the table and squeezed Wanda's hand. "Just a few bites, okay? For me?" Wanda sighed and picked up the sandwich, taking a small bite. Her eyes grew wide and the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile. "You like it?" Wanda nodded. She managed to eat half plus a hash brown, which satisfied Natasha. 

"Thank you Tasha," Wanda said with a genuine grin. Natasha laughed softly, and nudged Wanda's shoulder affectionately. Their shopping trip over, the two women weaved their way through crowds of people on their way out of the mall. Natasha could feel Wanda gripping her hand tight, clearly nervous around all the people. A tall and burly man accidentally ran into Wanda, and he huffed as he shoved past her.

"Watch where you're going," he muttered. Natasha glared at him, but her attention was soon back on Wanda. The poor girl was hunched over, trembling, and her arms were holding her stomach. 

Natasha held Wanda’s shoulders, not caring that people were staring at them. “Wanda. Are you with me?” When she got no response, she knew that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this approach. Instead, she took one of Wanda’s hands and gently squeezed each of her fingers, one by one. It was a technique that she had used on herself in the past. “Okay Wands- try to focus on my voice.” Natasha saw her head lift up slightly. “Great! Now, follow my breathing. In, out. In, out.” She repeated this for a while, until Wanda had somewhat calmed down.

Natasha saw Wanda open her mouth, probably to apologize, but she stopped her. “No, don’t say sorry. All that matters is that you’re okay now.” She felt Wanda grip onto her arm as Natasha hurried out of the mall- the sooner they got out, the better. After they made it to the safety of the car and started driving back, Natasha spoke while still keeping her eyes on the road.  
“You want to tell me what that was about?” Wanda knew that she couldn’t avoid the question this time, and let out a shaky breath.

“I bumped into the man. The man was angry at me. I panicked.” She buried her face in her hands. “I- I didn’t want him to be angry. If he’s angry, he’ll hurt me.” Natasha was surprised at how much Wanda had revealed, and she once again felt immeasurable pity for her. 

“I understand,” Natasha said softly. “I know there’s more, and I want you to tell me, but only when you feel comfortable.” Wanda nodded, and Natasha turned on some random classical music station on the radio to break the silence. 

At the Compound, they both acted as if the situation at the mall had never happened. They passed Steve, who waved, and Wanda waved politely back. Sam was practicing flying, and Wanda’s eyes widened as he performed some complex flight patterns. “Show-off,” Natasha muttered. “Come on Little Witch- to the gym.”

~~~

“Okay, today we’re going to be performing some basic hand-to-hand combat.” Wanda paled slightly, and Natasha laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna go easy on you.” That didn’t really ease her fears all that much. “Give me your fighting stance.” 

Wanda had no clue what she was supposed to do, and Natasha quirked an eyebrow. “So, we have some work to do.” Her tone was teasing, not angry. She fixed Wanda’s position, and stepped back. “Now- fight me. No powers,” she added seriously. Wanda bit her lip and nodded, lunging forward and aiming for Natasha’s stomach. With ease, the woman grabbed Wanda’s outstretched arm and flipped her over onto the mat. 

“Ow,” Wanda muttered. Natasha helped her up, and Wanda shook her sore wrist. “That was going easy?” Her mentor’s expression said it all. Wanda felt a sudden rush of determination, and steeled her gaze. “Let’s try again.” Natasha smirked approvingly, and they sparred a few more times. Obviously, Natasha won every time, but Wanda managed to stay up for longer every round.

“You’re improving quickly,” Natasha praised. Wanda beamed at the compliment. “How about I try to hit you first now?” Wanda shrugged. It couldn’t be much different from their previous fights. 

Natasha showed her a defensive stance, and she prepared herself. As soon as Natasha moved forward to strike, Wanda froze up.  
She was no longer seeing her mentor- she was seeing someone else. Someone from her past. Someone who struck fear in Wanda from the sheer mention of his name.  
Wanda was seeing her tormentor.

~~~

Natasha could see it in Wanda’s eyes- something was wrong. Quickly stopping her attack, she hurried forward. “What’s wrong?” The girl’s eyes were glazed over and her muscles were tense. She snapped her fingers. “Wanda?”

Wanda’s head jerked up, and she let out a strangled cry. Before Natasha could stop her, she was sprinting out of the gym. Following her out, she found Wanda in her room, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," Wanda mumbled. "I just... snapped."

"Yeah, I noticed," Natasha replied. "Please, just tell me why you freaked out. It might help." Wanda's bottom lip trembled, and she bit it to keep from crying. 

She continued staring at the ceiling. "When you attacked me... I had a flashback. To Hydra." She paused. "They kept me and my brother in separate cells. We were lab experiments, monsters of their creation." She laughed bitterly. "They ran many tests on us. When we didn't cooperate, we were punished." Wanda clenched her fists. "They would attack me. Sometimes with weapons, like batons. Other times, with their bare fists." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Sometimes, they would attack me for no reason. Maybe, I didn't cooperate with them when they tried to do... things." Natasha had a feeling she knew what Wanda meant by "things". 

"I'm so, so proud that you trusted me with that information," Natasha said. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. But we'll work through these issues together, okay? You, me, and everyone else here at the Compound. We're all here for you." She smirked. "We're your family, and you're stuck with us whether you like us or not."

Wanda looked away. "I guess I'm just worried that this family will end up like my first family." Natasha was caught off guard by that comment.

She sat down next to Wanda and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I don't think that we'll ever be able to replace your mom, or your dad, or your brother... but we'll try our best to give you a sense of belonging."

Wanda smiled. "Thanks Tasha. It did feel kind of nice to tell someone a little about my past." Natasha laughed lightly.

"I'm glad. Now, I think we should cut off training early today. How about we go hang out with the others?" Seeing Wanda's hesitation, Natasha made her tone more firm. "You have to get to know the others, Wanda. Like I said, they're your family too." Wanda huffed but stood up. 

"Fine," She relented. Natasha raised her eyebrows.

"Wanda Maximoff, are you sassing me?" Wanda's eyes grew wide. 

"Um... kind of?" Natasha snorted and playfully pushed her.

"God, I'm already rubbing off on you. I don't think that's a good thing."

Wanda giggled. "Are you sure? Because I think it is a good thing. In your own way, you're a decent role model." 

Natasha smirked. "I'm flattered Little Witch." She pulled Wanda out of the room. "Now hurry up, let's go annoy Steve." Laughing, Wanda followed her mentor to the elevator, feeling noticeably more relaxed then she was a few minutes ago. Perhaps talking to people occasionally did help.


End file.
